Guess what happened this time? My wife and I make plans to see a 12:05 movie at the Majestic. We arrive at 11AM promptly. We did not wan
t to have to rush through brunch, so we thought an hour would be plenty. You know, to eat, read the paper, I'm not really talking about in depth conversation here. But I digress.Upon our arrival, what do we find? A restaurant that is locked up tight with no activity inside whatsoever. We did find a forlorn waitress waiting for Stan - the owner - to arrive and open up the restaurant. What is up with that? You open at 11AM and you plan to arrive at 11AM ready for business? That is if Stan could arrive by 11AM.
Either way, I was in the restaurant business long enough to know if you plan to open at a specific time it is best not to show up at that time to open your doors. What about prep? How could a restaurant be taken seriously if its owner doesn't care enough to get there on time and have things prepared? How about ovens warming, vegetables/herbs chopped, sauces ready, the bar fully stocked, no less simply turning your lights on so the place looks welcoming. And this poor server, who by the way was about to log her last shift after only 2 weeks working there. This young woman - who by her own admission was not terribly interested if the restaurant opened on time - was there before Stan. This to me is problematic.
Maybe it's just Sunday brunch. I don't know. The place has served meals; i do know that. And folks seem to like it. But I don't know if I'll try again. Should we? Can someone give me a compelling reason to go back and a time when their doors will be open?
And of course right next door, the Sabroso Grill was ready to go and about to open its doors. The doors were locked when we tried them, but you could see plenty of activity in the kitchen and they were ready for customers.
If my wife and I were bigger meat eaters we would have hung around and tried Sabroso. But instead we bailed and went to Austin Grill. Not a terrible meal, but pretty mediocre. I am not a fan of leaving a restaurant after brunch ready to burst and that's often the feeling I have leaving AG - with the chips, cheese, and general large quantity of food you are served.
But at least they were open, ready and got us out in time to see Frost-Nixon - which I highly recommend. My pick for best picture.
17 comments:
Y'know... Sabroso has many vegetarian customers that usually get a 3-side-dish-platter. Basically all their side orders are vegetarian - rice + black or pinto beans, plantains, rosemary potatoes, fried yucca, fries, coleslaw, salad, corn. Top it off with a tiramisu or tres leches cake... ya got a full meal with no meat!
Thanks for the tip. And with my wife not eating any beef, pork or chicken and me only eating it selectively, we've certainly had plenty of meals that were composed of all side dishes. We figured if we did do Sabroso that's what we would get. But you know, you need to be in the mood for that. And at brunch, that just didn't work. I am committed though; I will be back - to Sabroso that is.
I've been conducting a personal deathwatch on ATSC. Nothing against them personally, but every time I walk past the place it's empty, with someone (the owner?) standing outside look sad, much like Baboo did in that Seinfeld episode where he opened a doomed Pakistani restaurant.
Say Anonymous: do you know if Sabroso's beans are made without lard or other animal fat?
Springvale Roader : Well they have a sign on their front window stating "our beans have no pork or lard" and on their menu the beans (both black and pinto) are listed as Vegetarian.
Anonymous: Thanks for the tip on the veggie beans at Sabroso. We will definitely give them a try. I like that the place is promoting art as well as regional Peruvian and Bolivian cuisine. As for ATSC, I'm with Springvale, just waiting for the shut down. The name is stupid and the inability to open the doors on time TWICE is really just bad business. Has anyone been to the little Italian place a few doors north on Colesville? I think the name is Marco?
I ate at Across The Street on inauguration day. The food wasn't bad but wasn't all that great, either. The owner was most friendly and charming, but I sat forever waiting for my bill. It was OK but not enough to make me come back. He needs to iron out the problems if it's not going to perish.
Socoblogirl, we've been to DeMarcos twice: the first time to check it out, the second to see if maybe they were just having a bad night the first time we were there. Suffice to say that we won't be giving them a third try.
The service is friendly but amateurish (I say this as a former waiter) and the prices are far too high for what you get, which is so-so. That's a pity, because the place could be fine local Italian joint. They need to hire a consultant and punch up the cooking.
You're all failing to recognize that Across the Street and DaMarco both are locally owned, small businesses. They deserve our support. Yes, maybe they aren't always as prompt with their service as the chains. But at least the owners are part of our community -- the money doesn't got to megacorporiatons, many of them based in Red Sttes that are working against the social and political goals important to people in Takoma-Silver Spring. Be patient, and learn to enjoy the offerings of local businesses. Otherwise, we'll just have more Starbucks, Macaroni Grill and Baja Fresh taking over our community.
Since the topic of brunch (and italian food) has come up, I wanted to put a plug in for my local favorites in those two categories. For brunch, my boyfriend and I have decided that Nicaro is the way to go. Their prices are just slightly higher than Austin Grill, but the food is waaaay better. The only downside is that they don't open until 11:30. For italian, head up colesville a little bit further than da marco, and check out sergio's. it's in the bottom of the hilton, but it's hands down our favorite italian place in silver spring. the prices are surprisingly good and we've always been happy with every dish we've gotten there.
Hometowner, it's all well and good to support local indie businesses, but if those local indie businesses suck, why give them your money? Being merely local and indie is not always enough.
At the same time, if you find a chain that actually delivers good value for the money, why shun it? I'm not a fan of most chains but, for example, I think Chipoltes is a fine place to get burritos, and until something better comes along, that's where I'll get them.
Wow - double digit comments. I think this is the first time we've hit this on the blog. Thanks.
And at least on this last thread, I have to agree that being local is not enough. While I definitely go out of my way to support local businesses, I think the quality of the service/ product has to be taken into account. I am happy to say when I need my pants hemmed I can drop them off at the alterations shop at 8305 Fenton, or my shirts cleaned - at Weller's, and when I need new heels on my shoes - at Arin's, and even when my car needs work, go to Nani at Citgo - and I could go on.
And maybe since I can walk to do all this I do end up paying a bit more, and perhaps the quality is not the highest you can find, but I'm not crazy. I won't do local if I'm getting ripped off or where I not happy with the quality of the product. I don't see any reason why there can't be a happy medium, right?
The places I listed above have achieved this. And on the food side, plenty of restaurants have too. My list would include Nicaro, Ghar E Kabob, Mandalay, Thai Derm (although I know plenty of other folks disagree with me on this one), Olazzo, Lotus Cafe, maybe Vicino, and from what I hear, Sabroso Grill.
I say this as someone who has given a fair amount of thought to opening a restaurant or market somewhere down the line. How could I expect loyalty from customers who believe I am selling an inferior product or service - whether they live near my business or are simply folks who come to town on an occasional basis.
Hometowner: the notion that diners should support businesses ONLY because they are local is preposterous! I encourage all kinds of local businesses to provide good products and services by gladly spending more on their services and patronizing them often. We dine at Lotus Cafe, Thai Derm, Mandalay, Nicaro, and other local spots on a monthly (and some weekly) basis and always choose them over the chains. But, if a restaurant is providing a sub par experience, I'm not going to waste my limited resources just to keep them going. Let them go so some other local can come in and provide better products or services!
We tried ATSC AGAIN last night. The owner came out the front door as we slowed to read the specials out front. He pressured us to come in, even as we were contemplating the very high prices for the specials. I really don't appreciate a guilt trip when deciding how to spend my money. But I am susceptible to the friendly, and seemingly desparate, proprietor (anyone remember poor Babu on Seinfeld?). So, we went in and were seated. The owner then spent the next several minutes chatting up other customers. We sat for a solid 5 minutes without being offered a menu or water. Finally, in frustration, we left. I was determined that we try the food at this place after readers recommended it. But, with prices that high (specials were $17.95-21.95), the service has got to be stellar. I can get fabulous food and professional, friendly service at Nicaro for that kind of money.
Socoblogirl:
You wrote, "But I am susceptible to the friendly, and seemingly desparate, proprietor (anyone remember poor Babu on Seinfeld?)."
Check out my message up above -- third from the top. ;)
SR
Hope it's not too late to add a few comments to this discussion. I admit I am biased in favor of small independent businesses. However, that means I'll give them a second chance, not that I'll put up with lousy food.
I'd like to put in a good word for daMarco. I think the dinner food there is excellent, especially the homemade pastas. For an appetizer, I recommend the Polenta Fritta. Also, the prices are reasonable and I've always found the service very friendly.
Sergio's is also good & definitely has a better atmosphere. However, there is generally nothing, or maybe one dish on the menu for a vegetarian.
Have been to ATSC once & was not impressed. The food was mediocre & the prices were high. The manager was very friendly and we wanted to like it, but haven't been back. I think they need to specialize in something rather than having a little bit of everything.
Also, as far as your original request - try McGinty's for a very good brunch.
Thanks Woodside Boomer for the notes on DaMarco. Anybody else out there have an opinion on them? Perhaps I can get Socoblogboy back in there with the lure of homemade pasta.
We will check out the brunch at McGinty's. It's my favorite meal of the week and if they are doing something akin to a real British fry up, that would be fab.
Sergios would be our local Italian joint of choice if only they had some vegetarian/vegan options already on the menu. It's not like they would have to invent them, after all. Penne Arrabiatta. Pasta and red sauce with mushrooms or eggplant. Heck, even pasta with olive oil. Alas, they are old school to a fault.
I have always loved DaMarco for lunch, but I can't get there as often as I'd like to, as I sold my soul by taking a job across the river. My wife and I kept meaning to try them for dinner, and still want to, but they are open Wed-Sat, and that's it, and Tuesday night is the one night both of us are generally not committed to something else. I've had many a conversation with Marco, and he really knows his stuff, and would never think twice about patronizing the shop, when it's open.
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